Thermostatic controller for water temperature



Sept. 24, 1946. I I w PETERSON 2,408,269

THERMOS'I'ATIC CONTROLLER FOR WATER TEMPERATURE Filed Sept. 1, 1942 go v fiaciz'afaz" I "RA/2 2/5- from f/ fizflezzf ar' Patented Sept. 24, 1946 .UNITED- STATES PATENT OFFICE THERMOSTATIC CONTROLLER FOR- WATER TElVLPER-ATURE William E. Peterson, Chicago, Ill.,-assignor to-Vapor Car Heating Company, Inc.-, ChicagoJlL, a corporation of'New York Application September 1, 1942, Serial No: 45'6,8'81

2 Claims. (Cl. 2-36- --34-)- 1. Thisinvention relates to an improved thermostatic means for controlling the flow of water in an =engine-coolingsystem, more particularly to a thermostatic valve mechanism adapted to be installed in the conduit through which the cooling water flows from the engine to the radiator.

This improved-valve mechanism is so designed that it will respond only to predetermined changes in the temperature ofthe water stream, the valve normally remaining closed until its temperature risesabove a predetermined level andthenopening and remaining. open until the temperature falls again.

The principal object of this invention is to provide anew and improved valve, assembly which can be'installed as a unit in the. conduit between the' engine and radiator.

Another object istc provide such an assembly in which the movable valve member is substantially balanced against water pressures. both above and below the member; so. thattheposition of the valve will normally be dependent: entirely. upon the water temperature.

Another object is to provide a valve of this type provided with a normally open passage permitting a limited flow of water through: the valve at all times so as'to equalize the watertemperature bothabove and below the'valve.

Another object is to'provide such; awalve'embodying a thermostatic bellows'having an auxiliary operating spring adapted to cause the valve to open in case of injury to the operating bellows. In other words the 1 valve will fail,: ifcat all,1in open position.

Another objectis" to provide'animproved valve of this type having a balancing bellows-mechalowsstructures are substantially enclosed and.

protected at all-times by an outer protective housing through which the water stream is permitted to circulate when thevalveisopen. 3

Other objects andv advantagesof this invention will be more apparent from th following detailed description of one approved form of the temperature operated assembly.

The accompanying drawing is a vertical central section through. the-valve assembly and a sectionof the conduit in. which this-assembly is 2 installed; andnthrough which the water stream flows;

The: valvetassembly forming the. particular subject matter of this invention is housed within th upper: bell-shaped portion. l of the conduit member: 25 rising. from the engine. block. As; will be notedifrom the: arrows, the water fromthis enginerblock'flows or. is. forced upwardly through this conduit and. thence. through theelbow section 3 to a suitable connection with the upper portion. of the: radiator inwhich the water is cooled byexposure-to the outer air.

r The collar portion 4 at the bottom of elbow3 i secured to the upper end, 5 of conduit I by means ofthe bolts 6, there being an interposed gasket 1 to prevent leakage. from the-conduit.

The: improved valve assembly is housed within and; protected by' a casing built up of metallic sections comprising a; main upper section'8, a top section orcover 9; and: a lower section Ill; The upper end of section 8 is bent reversely on itself toform an outstanding; collar portion H which i bri-mpedabout .the'outstandingcollar I2 at the lower'end of cover 9,. this outstandingcollarportion: l'l "being; mounted within the circular groove l3 formed in the upper end'of bell-shapedhous' ing- H and held therein by therupper elbow-section 3,.thussupporting the; entire valve assembly within the'conduit. The lower end of casing. 8 is-bent; inwardly: and downwardly as indicated at' Miso as toterminate in a valve seat l5, against which-the; movable valve plate'l6 is engaged to cut offfthe: main flow of water through the conduitsv A;.small;constant1y open passage lFl is'formed in. disc. or plate: l6 so as to; permit. a. continuous upward flow: ofgwater. through the valve, even thoughqthevalve is closed. This prevents .entirely:cuttingpfiithewater fiowwliile at the same time keeping the: Water: both above: and below the valveat substantially. the. same temperature.

The inner casing: is completed bythe. lower shell1 or housing; III having: a closedbottom portion; annupperrcollar l8, which is securedaround' the. lowerportionof upper'shell 8,.and which is provided with inlet" o-pemngst l 9 inthe sides there'- of'ior the'flowing. stream. of: water. This lower. shell I'll.v encloses 'thellower balancing bellows or. diaphragm: hereinafter. described.

It will be noted thatv .the;heated" waterfrom the engine firstfiows; as' indicated by the arrows,

around-the lower portion of" easing Ill,- thence inwardly through therinlets; land around the valve disc [6' when theisame is open and. through the main; valve; opening: into the upper chamber 29 within casing section 8 which houses the actuating thermostatic member. The water Stream then flows through the various outlets 2| in the cover member 9 and thence out through the elbow-member 3 to the radiator.

The upper thermostatic bellows indicated as a whole at A is housed within the chamber 20 of upper casing section 8 and centered and suspended within this chamber by the upper disc 22 attached to the cover member 9 by bolt 23 and nut 24. The upper plate or disc 22 is connected with the lower disc 26 by the flexible corrugated metallic side bellows structure 25, the space within this bellows assembly containing a certain quantity of thermostatic fluid which is condensed at ordinary low temperature so that the interior of the bellows is partially exhausted. A

of the water within the lower portion of conduit I tends to force the plate I6 upwardly against the seat I5, but at the same time this waterpressure is exerted on bellows B tending to contract this bellows and pull the valve I6 downwardly. These two portions tend to counter-balance one. another so that the movable hollow tubular member 2! open at both ends surrounds at its upper end the stud member 28 projecting downwardly from the upper end plate 22, while a similar tubular collar portion 29 projects centrally upward from lower plate 26 coaxially with the upper tubular member 21. A tubular sleeve 30 encloses the members 21 and 29 and is slidable on member 21 as the bellows structure elongates or contracts. A plurality of openings 3I are formed in the sides of tube 30 so that the space within the tubular members is in open communication with the space 32 within bellows 25.

A sleeve member 33 is attached at its upper end to the bottom disc 26 of the bellows, and attached at its lower end to the valve plate l6, thus serving as means for raising and lowering the'valve plate I6 as the bellows A is contracted or expanded. Another sleeve or thimble member 34, closed at the bottom, is attached to the lower side of valve plate I 6 and to the inner bottom surface of cup 49. This sleeve is in open communication at its upper end (through' the valve plate) with the aligned tubes 29, 30 and 21 within the upper bellows structure. A portion of the thermostatic fluid within this bellows device is housed within the lower thimble member 34 so as to respond to temperature changes in the water below the valve plate while the upper bellows assembly responds to the water temperature in the upper chamber above the valve plate. Since both of these water spaces are in continuous communication through the passage I7 in the valve plate [6, it will be seen that the thermostatic assembly A is responsive to substantially the same temperature at all times no matter which side of the valve this water may be located in. Since the interior of bellows and the connected. sleeve members is normally under a partial vacuum, the valve plate It will normally be held up' in engagement with the valve seat I5. When the temperature of the water stream (and consequently the temperature to which bellows A is responsive) .rises suflficiently, the thermostatic fluid will be expanded or vaporized and valve plate I6 will be forced downwardly away from seat I5. This will permit free passage of the water stream through the casing assembly from the engine to the radiator. When the temperature of this water stream falls sufficiently the thermostatic structure A will be contracted and the valve plate will again be lifted into engagement with its seat.

The lower balancing bellows B is housed within the lower casing section II] and comprises a flexible diaphragm or bellows 35 anchored at its lower end 36 to the bottom of easing Ill. The bellows B' doesnot expand or contract readily in valve member I6 will be controlled entirely by the thermostatic bellows A in the upper chamber.

At the same time, it will be noted that the water pressure in the upper portion of the conduit and in chamber 20 tends to contract the bellows 25 and thereby pull upwardly on the valve plate I6. The upper surface of the plate I6 (within its valve seat) is of substantially the same effective area as the opposed surface of bellows 25 so that here again the water pressures acting on the valve plate IE will tend to counterbalance one another. The valve, therefore, will be normally controlled almost entirely by changes in the water temperature.

It will now be noted that an auxiliary spring 42 is coiled around the inner tubes between the upper plate 22 and lower plate 26 of the thermostatic assembly A. This spring is normally under some compression so that in the event that the upper bellows 25 should be perforated or 0therwise fail, the spring 42 will expand and open the valve I6. This is essentially a safety device to assure that the main valve will fail in an open position,-if. at all, thereby preventing overheating of the engine.

It will now be seen that all parts of this assembly are protected and enclosed by the metallic casing and can be removed from the conduit or replaced as a unit.

The hole I! in valve-plate I6 permits the escape of trapped air and by permitting a small continuous circulation of the water tends to equalize the temperature of the water, both above and below the Valve, at all times.

The main valve will be normally closed at all low temperatures and the spring 42 tends to open the valve in case of failure of the thermostatic mechanism and thereby avoid overheating the water. V

I claim -1. In an engine cooling system, means for controlling the flow of water through a conduit leading from the engine to a radiator, comprising a valve-seat fixedly mounted in the conduit, a valve-plate movable from below to and from the seat to close or open the valve, an expansible bellows thermostat mounted in the conduit above the valve seat and attached to the upper side of the movable valve-plate, a thermostatic fluid in the bellows responsive to temperature changes in the water, a thermostatic fluid-containing receptacle projecting downwardly from the plate and connected through the plate with the thermostatic bellows so that the bellows thermostat will respond to temperature changes at both sidesof the valve, and a second closed bellows member fixed at its lower end and secured to the lowerface of the plate and having an end por- 7 sure.

tion of the same effective area exposed to the water pressure as the lower face of the plate, thus balancing the water pressures tending to raise the plate, and the said bellows thermostat having an end, the efiective area of which exposed to the water pressure is substantially equal to the area of the top surface of the valve exposed to the water pressure, whereby the valve is substantially balanced against the water pres- 2. In an engine cooling system, means for controlling the fiow of water through a conduit leading from the engine to a radiator, comprising a casing having an upper section fixedly positioned in the conduit and provided with a reduced lower end forming a valve-seat surrounding an inlet opening and having outlet openings in the upper end, a valve-plate movable from below to engage the valve-seat and close the valve, a downwardly extending casing section enclosing the valve-seat and plate and provided with inlet openings in its side portion, an expansible bellows mounted within the upper casing section and attached at its movable lower end to the valve-plate, there being a quantity of heat-expansive fluid within the bellows so that it will function as a thermostat, a pressure balancing bellows mounted in the lower casing section and attached at its upper end to the valveplate which end has the same effective area exposed to the water pressure as the lower face WILLIAM R. PETERSON. 

